Trump’s anti-trans executive order says there are ‘only two sexes’

Donald Trump has signed a raft of executive orders after being sworn into office, including an anti-trans measure proclaiming that the US recognises only two sexes.

The executive order states that the US will only recognise “male” and “female” and these that are “unchangeable”, Reuters reported.

The legislation requires government employees to use the term “sex” rather than “gender”, and that IDs, including passports and visas, must show a person’s biological sex as “either male or female”.

During his inaugural address on Monday (20 January), Trump said there were only two genders, “male and female”, adding that he will end “the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life”.

Among the other executive orders were moves to scrap diversity, equity and inclusion policies, ending birth-right citizenship (which guarantees citizenship to anyone born on US soil), withdrawing the country from the World Health Organization, and pardons for those convicted of crimes surrounding events on 6 January 2021.

Trump’s inauguration was preceded by protests, including thousands marching in Washington DC to defend abortion and trans healthcare rights.

“The incoming administration is trying to divide our communities in the hope that we forget what makes us strong,” Kelley Robinson, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement.

“But we refuse to back down or be intimidated. We are not going anywhere and we will fight back against these harmful provisions with everything we’ve got.”

What is an executive order?

Executive orders are legally binding legislation issued by the president to the federal government which do not require congressional approval.

During his first term as president, from 2017 to 2021, Trump signed 220 executive orders, including a travel ban on those from some majority-Muslim countries.

Joe Biden issued 160 executive orders, many of which reversed Trump’s decisions, such as rejoining the Paris climate agreement.

In turn, Trump has now overturned 78 Biden-era executive actions, with his own orders including the withdrawal of the US from the Paris climate agreement once again. He is also expected to reinstate his previous ban on transgender officers serving in the military.

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